Don't do a law degree to be a lawyer, says judge

A grounding in general culture and a subject such as history or maths that teaches analytical skills 'is more valuable for a would-be barrister or solicitor'

Lord Sumption said potential lawyers should study history or maths at university (Getty)

STUDYING law as an undergraduate is not the best way to begin a career as a
barrister or solicitor, says one of Britain's most senior judges.

Supreme Court justice Lord Sumption says modern lawyers start their careers
with "much less in the way of general culture" than their predecessors and
it is "very unfortunate" that many fledgling barristers and solicitors
cannot speak a foreign language.

In an interview with Counsel, a specialist legal magazine, the judge suggests
that trainee lawyers would be better taking degrees in history or
mathematics before moving on to study law.

"The problem is that we have a generation of lawyers ... who are coming into
the profession with much less in the way of general culture than their
predecessors."

Eton-educated Lord Sumption, 63, was a leading barrister whose clients
included Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich before he became a
judge.